National Register #99000894: Second and Howard Street District in San Francisco, California

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Northwest Corner of Second and Howard Streets
19 February 2012

The building on the corner (600 Howard Street) was built in 1909, but the architect is unknown.

The adjacent six-story white building (606-612 Howard Street) is the Merritt Building, designed by the Reid Brothers and built in 1907.

The 26-story Art Deco skyscraper in the background is the AT&T building (140 New Montgomery Street) built in 1924. The AT&T Building is not located within the District.

(Click Photo to Zoom)

National Register #99000894
Second and Howard Street District
121-198 2nd Street
579-612 Howard Street
116 Natoma
111-163 New Montgomery
Built Various Years

Before the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, the area that was to become the Second and Howard Street District contained mostly smaller buildings, about a third of them frame. There were quite a few dwellings and lodging houses, a glove factory, a patent medicine factory, a book bindery, plumbers, some restaurants, more saloons, and a large number of stores not specifically identified on the Sanborn map of 1905.

The earthquake and subsequent three day fire totally destroyed the District. If any walls were left standing, they were later demolished for the construction of the buildings that form the District.

The Second and Howard Street District is comprised of 310 acres containing nineteen contributing buildings.

Contributing Buildings Sequenced By Address
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Name	Year	Address	Remarks
Rapp Building	1907	121-131 Second Street	Reid Brothers. See photo at bottom of page.
Excelsior Glove Factory	1907	132-140 Second Street	John Cotter Pelton, architect
Frederick Post Company	1906	133-137 Second Street	William Curlett, architect
Rincon Building	1907	141-145 Second Street	John Cotter Pelton, architect
Building at 149-155 Second Street	1908	149-155 Second Street	John A. Ettler, architect
Building at 156-160 Second Street	1909	156-160 Second Street	Architect unknown
Marcus Modry Building	1907	163 Second Street	Henry C. Farley, contractor
Electric Building	1906	165-173 Second Street	John Cotter Pelton, architect
Building at 168 Second Street	1907	168 Second Street	Hermann Barth, architect
Building at 182-198 Second Street	1909	182-198 Second Street and 600 Howard Street	Architect unknown. See photo at top of page.
Building at 191-197 Howard Street	1907	191-197 Howard Street	Ross & Burgren, architects
United Sheet Metal Works	1910	579 Howard Street	Ross & Burgren, architects
R. W. Kinney Building	1906	580 Howard Street	A. W. Smith, architect
Peters Cartridge co.	1912	583-587 Howard Street	W. J. Miller, architect
Building at 589-591 Howard Street	1906	589-591 Howard Street	Frank S. Van Ttees, architect
Merritt Building	1907	606-612 Howard Street	Reid Brothers, architects
N. Clark & Sons Building	1909	116 Natoma Street	Cunningham & Politeo
Standard Building	1907	111-121 New Montgomery Street	Reid Brothers, architects
Greenwood Block	1907	137-163 New Montgomery Street	Henry A. Schulz, architect

19 February 2012
(Click Photo to Zoom)

Rapp Building
121-131 Second Street

The Rapp Building, designed by the Reid Brothers, was built just after the 1906 Eartquake and Fire.

The 26-story building behind the Rapp Building is 55 Second Street, an office building completed in 2000. The entrance to 55 Second Street is a four story atrium to the left of the Rapp Building in the photograph.

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